Make it happen...
As a copywriter specializing in law firms, I have spent the weekend locked in my office writing for clients. I'm probably going to spend this week doing the same thing.
If you're in-house, and suddenly have to push out client alerts, web content, or other material related to what a practice group recommends clients do in response to the COVID-19 virus, here are some hard-won recommendations about how to write this kind of material, particularly under pressure, you may find helpful:
1. Educate yourself
Whatever topic you're assigned to write about, there are dozens of client alerts written by other firms out there. Grab half a dozen of them, print them out, and highlight key points. The more you know in advance about the topic, the more efficient you'll be.
2. Interview an attorney about the subject
Don't take more than half an hour, and create an outline of their thinking as you talk with them. You're not actually writing anything yet, but you're trying to get a fast, efficient brain dump.
3. Recognize that the attorneys you work with/for are under enormous pressure right now, and do not have thirty spare seconds
Be as efficient and focused as possible, and cut them a lot of slack.
When you interview, try to minimize digressions. Particularly with senior people, there can be tendency to wander off into theorizing, which isn't useful right now. Gently, politely get them back on track.
...make your copy as focused, to-the-point and action-oriented as you can.
When you're writing, make your copy as focused, to-the-point and action-oriented as you can. Remember high school English. Use short sentences, active verbs, and above all, get to the point. Cut out adverbs and adjectives unless they're absolutely necessary.
4. If you're editing copy prepared by an attorney, be extremely careful, and check for basic grammatical errors like wrong tenses, punctuation errors and so on
Again, these people are really under the gun, and I have seen stuff by lawyers this weekend that is riddled with mistakes because there isn't time to review. I have read stuff online by AmLaw 50 firms with mistakes.
5. Do not be afraid to use some emotion
This is a genuine global crisis, a lot of clients are panicked, and you can write at a higher emotional pitch than normal, at least in the opening lines of your stuff.
If your firm has a brand with characteristics that are set out ("We're the attack-dog litigators you need when it's time for bet-the-company cases" or something) then try to make those key brand points in your copy, if you can. The recommendations you're describing can reinforce the firm's positioning if you can weave them into your copy.
...style is not the hill you want to die on right now.
6. Respect the attorney's writing voice, and don't get into debates with them about style
Even if they drain all the energy out of your copy, and you think they've made it worse, style is not the hill you want to die on right now.
7. Get enough sleep, eat properly and get a little exercise if you can
Writing is very hard work, and if you're tired, distracted, hungry or don't feel well, you're going to have to work much, much harder and your writing will suffer. Husband your energy -- you're going to need it.
This is a critical time for legal marketers. Many of us are effectively now the voice of the firm to a confused, worried outside world. Now is the time to really execute - your firms, and your firm's clients, need you. Make it happen.
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Peter Darling is a copywriter and attorney who specializes in working with law firms and other professional services organizations. Based in Northern California, he writes for clients ranging from AmLaw 50 law firms to solo practitioners and consultants.
More information at www.peterdarlingwriter.com and (831) 400-7939
